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DES MOINES, Iowa -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt continued his state action tour in Iowa on Tuesday, visiting his eighth state in four weeks.

"Iowa is home to a robust agriculture industry that EPA should not be obstructing with unnecessary and costly regulations that do little to promote environmental stewardship," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "By beginning the process to redefine WOTUS, EPA is providing regulatory certainty for farmers, ranchers, and landowners while respecting the traditional oversight role of states to help keep water clean."

Administrator Pruitt began his visit at the state capitol where he met with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, Iowa Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and other state officials to discuss how EPA’s recent decision to begin the process of redefining ‘Waters of the United States’ (WOTUS) will help empower traditional state governing powers and keep water clean for Iowans. Following his meeting at the state capitol, Administrator Pruitt held a roundtable hosted by the Iowa Farm Bureau where he met with state agribusiness leaders to discuss how EPA is providing regulatory certainty with the Agency’s recent WOTUS decision. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley also joined Administrator Pruitt and state officials at the roundtable.

"The 2015 Waters of the United States rule was a significant and severe case of government overreach by the Obama administration," said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. "I want to thank Administrator Pruitt for traveling to Iowa to hear directly from farmers, once again showing his commitment to partnering with states."

"The federal government works for the people of Iowa and the rest of the United States," said U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley. "Administrator Pruitt is right to come to Iowa and hear firsthand how the WOTUS rule and other regulations affect the farmers on the ground who are good stewards of the land while feeding the world."

"Today we heard more input from Iowans about the harmful impact the Obama administration’s WOTUS rule would have on our state," said U.S. Senator Joni Ernst. "Here in Iowa, 97 percent of our land could see extensive overregulation by the EPA through this misguided rule, unnecessarily hamstringing our farmers, businesses, and manufacturers. I am pleased that Administrator Pruitt and the Trump administration are taking this feedback seriously and are working to eliminate the burdensome WOTUS rule."

"With the potential to regulate 97 percent of Iowa and hamper the ability of farmers to implement conservation efforts, we applaud EPA Administrator Pruitt for taking the steps to repeal the misguided Waters of the U.S. rule," said Craig Hill, President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. "Farm Bureau looks forward to working with the EPA to draft a new rule that provides clarity and predictability to farmers and upholds the intent of the Clean Water Act."